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The Texans were embarrassed by the Jaguars, 29-7, while the Bengals were shut out by the Ravens, 20-0. Houston now has a quarterback controversy on its hands after Tom Savage was benched at halftime following a poor first two quarters. Deshaun Watson was a first-round pick in this year’s draft and it will be interesting to see if he gets the nod for this game.
The Bengals’ quarterback situation is more settled but Andy Dalton had a horrific start against Baltimore and needs to get better fast to give his team a shot at the playoffs.
This contest in Week 2 of the regular season will go down Thursday, September 14, 2017, at 8:25 p.m. ET at Paul Brown Stadium.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Houston Texans +3
Cincinnati Bengals -3
Over/Under 38.5
Odds Analysis
These teams are pretty close in talent level and thus the Bengals have the slight edge because of the home field advantage. Wagers can usually be heavily influenced by the previous week’s results, but both teams were so bad in the opener it might not matter.
The scoring total is low because both teams have solid defenses but suspect offenses at this point.
Injury Report
J.J. Watt -- The Texans’ star defensive end hurt his finger in the first half against the Jaguars but stayed in the game. He didn’t have an overwhelming showing against Jacksonville and will look to have a big showing against Cincinnati. Watt is also coming off back surgery that kept him out of most of last season so he needs to be healthy this year.
Trey Hopkins -- The Bengals’ right guard injured his left knee in the second quarter of the opener and didn’t return. The severity isn’t yet known, but after getting hit hard on the offensive side of the ball a season ago, Cincinnati is hoping to void serious ailments this year.
Matchup to Watch
The quarterbacks -- Dalton is an established signal-caller and he hopes to flush away a poor performance against the Ravens, although this is a tough matchup against Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and an impressive Texans defense.
Dalton was 16-of-31 for 170 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions against the Ravens. He was sacked five times and also lost a fumble. Dalton finished with a quarterback rating of 28.4 in one of the worst performances of his career.
Savage went 7-for-13 for 62 yards and was sacked six times in the first half against the Jaguars as Houston fell behind 19-0. Watson took over and had moderately more success. He was 12-of-23 for 102 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Watson has more upside, and he may have shown enough in the second half to get the nod. The quarterback situation is going to be something to watch closely for both teams as they need upgrades their in order to have success in 2017.
Free ATS Pick
As bad as Dalton was, he has a track record of success and should be able to bounce back even against a good defense. Houston had a bunch of trouble at home, and now will be heading into a hostile environment.
The Texans were expected to win the AFC South heading into the season, but another loss could sound the panic button. The Bengals are better than they showed in the opener and Houston has deeper-rooted problems on offense. Take Cincinnati to win this game and cover the spread. The scoring total is so low that the “over” is the play.
NFL Odds: Bengals 24, Texans 16
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